A valve assembly for a water circulation system includes a valve body defining a bypass passage between a hot water side and a cold water side of the valve body. The bypass passage has a valve seat therein. A bypass valve is received within the bypass passage. The bypass valve restricts the flow of water through the bypass passage based on a temperature of the water in the bypass passage. The bypass valve is variably positionable with respect to the valve seat to control a bypass shut-off temperature of the water.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. A valve assembly for a water circulation system, the valve assembly comprising: a valve body having at least three ports, the valve body defining a bypass passage between a hot water side and a cold water side of the valve body, the bypass passage having an inlet from the hot water side of the valve body and a discharge to the cold water side of the valve body, the bypass passage having a valve seat therein; a sleeve received in the bypass passage, the sleeve being variably positionable with respect to the inlet of the bypass passage, the sleeve having a sleeve inlet and a sleeve discharge, wherein water flows into the sleeve through the sleeve inlet from the inlet of the bypass passage and water flows out of the sleeve through the sleeve discharge; and a bypass valve received within the sleeve, the bypass valve restricting the flow of water through the bypass passage based on a temperature of the water in the bypass passage, wherein the bypass valve is movable with the sleeve to control a position of the bypass valve with respect to the valve seat to control a bypass shut-off temperature of the water.
2. The valve assembly of claim 1 , wherein the bypass valve is moved relatively closer to the valve seat to decrease the bypass shut-off temperature of the water.
3. The valve assembly of claim 1 , wherein the bypass valve includes a piston and a poppet attached to the piston, a distal end of the poppet being configured to engage the valve seat to close the bypass passage.
4. The valve assembly of claim 1 , wherein the valve body has a hot portion and a cold portion, the hot portion having a hot inlet port configured to be coupled to a hot water supply line, the cold portion having a cold inlet port configured to be coupled to a cold inlet supply line, the valve body having at least one discharge port, the hot portion having a hot mating end, the cold portion having a cold mating end, the hot mating end being coupled to the cold mating end, wherein the hot portion is variably positionable with respect to the cold portion to control a position of the sleeve with respect to the inlet of the bypass passage to control a bypass shut-off temperature of the water.
5. The valve assembly of claim 4 , wherein the cold portion is threadably coupled to the hot portion.
6. The valve assembly of claim 4 , wherein the cold portion is threadably coupled to the hot portion using a threaded coupler.
7. The valve assembly of claim 4 , wherein the hot and cold portions are coupled to one another in multiple positions using spring-loaded pins.
8. The valve assembly of claim 1 , wherein the valve body has a T-shape, wherein the bypass portion is positioned within a stem of the T-shaped valve body, the sleeve being received in the stem of the T-shaped valve body, the valve body further comprising hot and cold interconnect channels in flow communication with the bypass passage.
9. The valve assembly of claim 1 , wherein the valve body has a T-shape, wherein the bypass portion is positioned within a stem of the T-shaped valve body, the valve body further comprising hot and cold interconnect channels in flow communication with the bypass passage, the sleeve inlet receiving water from the hot interconnect channel, the sleeve discharge discharging water to the cold interconnect channel.
10. The valve assembly of claim 1 , wherein the valve body has a T-shape, wherein the bypass portion is positioned within a stem of the T-shaped valve body, the sleeve being movably received in the stem of the T-shaped valve body, the sleeve being threadably coupled to the stem of the T-shaped body.
11. The valve assembly of claim 1 , wherein the bypass valve is entirely housed within the sleeve.
Cooperative Patent Classification codes for this invention. Click any code to explore related patents in that topic.
July 2, 2007
July 5, 2011
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